Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Missing Embarkation Roll, N&MEF, 1914 - Updated! Updated again

Rabaul, New Guinea, circa 1914. German Headquarters after capture by the Australian Navy and Military Expeditionary Force. The photo shows a New Guinea Guard lined up outside. (AWM. P00595.157)

The following list of men who volunteered for the Naval and Military Expeditionary Force in 1914 is not included in the AWM lists of Embarkation Rolls, nor do the men have a service record at the National Archives of Australia unless they re-enlisted after their return to Australia in 1915. Later embarkation rolls for the NMEF exist, but this first one appears to have been lost.

UPDATE: Further information suggests that while the first Australian to be wounded in the Great War was AB Williams, Captain Brian Colden Antill Pockley was the first to die of his wounds, aboard the Berrima, while Williams died of his wounds a little while later.

I had a look at the Wikipedia article on the action in Rabaul, which talked about the different groups of volunteers who went with this Naval and Military Expeditionary Force. It was a separate force from the Australian Imperial Force, and I think it likely that in this first contingent they hadn't set up a system of record keeping/storing. Don't know. But the Wiki article did not specifically mention a contingent from Victoria, so I think they must have been included in the 500 men who were in the Navy or the Royal Naval Reserve - which meant that they could be mobilised quickly. According to the article, it was a group from that 500 naval and reserve men which sallied forth to capture the wireless station, during which Williams was killed. Curwen, who wrote home about the action, and his friend Bob Palmer, were all in that group that were engaged in the action, and they were all in the group listed in the Argus. The naval ranks given in the list is evidence that it was not a raggle taggle lot of volunteers, they were men with rank or rating in the Navy or Reserve. Later contingents of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force were used to occupy the German possessions in the vicinity of New Guinea, and those embarkation rolls are included at the AWM.

Further advice from Robert Simpson suggests that the RAN didn't have embarkation rolls - which makes sense. On his suggestion I have also correction my deplorable error in Williams' rank - he was an Able Seaman, not a Chief Petty Office. I clearly got over excited.

Strange - I put a comment on this a day or two ago, but didn't think it got through. Thank you for letting us in on Curwen, who was a soldier settler for a short time near Maffra. All adds up in the end!

I've now checked out Henry Richard Orpen who is in this list. He lived in Moreland and had been in the Naval Reserves for 8 yrs and had been in New Guinea for 8 mths (was there in Sep 1914). He later enlisted in the 30th Btn as a Lieutenant. Was out of action for nearly 18 mths with severe shell shock and when he returned to France in Oct 1917 was deemed an unsatisfactory commander and sent home in early 1918. Poor Harry. His excuse was that he'd been suffering from malaria since his time in New Guinea. The authorities were not at all sympathetic and they questioned his right to medals and to a war service loan. I'm not sure whether he got either of these, but he was certainly made to suffer!

No I don't. I wrote to the AWM asking if they would consider including these men, but I didn't get a reply. I would suggest writing to them yourself. I suppose the more people who ask, the more they are likely to consider it. Archivally it would be difficult, because the list in the newspaper is not an archival record for the AWM. So it is not as straightforward as it might seem. The Embarkation Rolls of the AWM are a specific set of records. The AN&MEF seems not to have had an equivalent set of records to the AIF. .

Hi LenoreYour embarkation listing is vey interesting. I am working with Ted Baillieu in his role as Chair of the Victorian Govt's ANZAC Centenary Committee. As Victoria's truly first participants in World War 1, the AN&MEF group departure on 17 August to join the HMAT Berrima on 19 August is a significant part of Victoria's contribution and sacrifice in WW1. Do you have your embarkation listing in a searchable/excel format? Ted's focus for the Centenary Commemorations is to involve as many descendants in the commemorative events. If we were able to search/group your AN&MEF listing, we would be able to start tracing descendants with the assistance of Members of Parliament. Your response will be much appreciated. Best Cathy Quealy, Office of Ted Baillieu.

I have the listing in a Word document only. A person who is clever with Excel could created an Excel list for you with the suburbs in one column for sorting purposes.

I saw tonight that I hadn't made the link to the newspaper article a hyperlink in the post above, so I have fixed that. It was easy to miss without the hyperlink.

After the original post I was contacted by a person who seems to be running a mailing list for people interested in this AN&MEF. I daresay some of them are descendants, so that may help you contacting people. If you email me I can put you in touch with them, and send you the Word doc.

I have been working on this for the last 9 years - I have post to ancestry to make connection to family members - and have made contact with Hicks - Buller - Willian - - and also other member as well as member of the Walker/Courtney - Moffatt - and South Australian members of ANMEF Sullivan - today I emailed the Courier Mail to see if they would run a story and the Sth Australian Paper run on on Tim Sullivan wounded 9 times - I have been collecting images - the Seapower Centre in Canberra site is a great - http://www.navy.gov.au/history/feature-histories/australian-naval-and-military-expeditionary-force-first-fight-1914 - with all of us working together to promote the men of the ANMEF and the Battle of Bitapaka - would love to share with you anything I have - we have recently been given medals of Alfred Reed while not ANMEF he is at the battle of Bitapake and revenged the death of LCDR Elwell - the family also gave a picture of the German Office whose had was amputated by Captain Pockley - I am not aware that this picture has been seen - Regards Toni Munday

LenoreThank you for posting the link to the public event this Sunday 17 August at 11 am at Flinders St Station - http://anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au/events/flinders-st-station-anmef-commemoration-open-public/ - marking the departure of the first Victoria Troops in World War 1 - the AN&MEF Group.Cathy Q